MINNEAPOLIS & REHOVOT, Israel & BURLINGTON, Mass.-- Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq:SSYS), the 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions company, and Desktop Metal today announced an extension of their strategic partnership - designed to accelerate accessibility and adoption of metal additive manufacturing. Built on a rich history of collaboration, the new agreement includes distribution efforts and explores further go-to-market activities in the future.

The strategic partnership aims to leverage nearly 30 years of Stratasys leadership in polymer 3D printing - alongside Desktop Metal's pioneering metal 3D printing technologies - to broaden the accessibility and adoption of metal 3D printing to a wide range of engineering teams. As a result of this partnership, customers will be able to work with leading Stratasys resellers who will begin representing Desktop Metal solutions, including the recently announced Studio System and the Production System, alongside Stratasys' broad family of advanced FDM and PolyJet solutions.

Expected to ship Fall 2017, Desktop Metal's Studio System is the first office-friendly metal 3D printing solution. At up to ten times less expensive than today's metal 3D printers, it's the only metal 3D printing system that is cost-effective for engineering teams. For the first time, it's possible to produce highly complex metal parts and assemblies with metal 3D printing without leaving the office.

Following the successful release of the Stratasys FDM-based F123 Series, the companies believe customers will benefit from the complementary nature of both technologies - now with the enhanced ability to expedite product development cycles by producing both plastic and metal prototypes in an office-friendly environment.

"Stratasys has always been focused on providing customers with cutting-edge 3D printing innovation with our PolyJet and FDM solutions. Today our offerings are used by customers worldwide - across automotive, aerospace, healthcare, education and consumer products - to achieve rapid prototyping, tooling and manufacturing processes," said

Ilan Levin, CEO, Stratasys. "As one of the early investors in Desktop Metal, we realize customers are seeking additional ways to incorporate metal into their essential design and manufacturing processes. Today's announcement takes this commitment one step further - empowering global manufacturers and engineers to expedite product development cycles by producing both plastic and metal parts in office-friendly and production-based environments."

Ric Fulop, CEO and Co-Founder of Desktop Metal. "The addition of Stratasys' network of resellers allows us to deliver more effectively to our market and also enables Stratasys' customers to gain access to Desktop Metal's systems while retaining the service and support they have come to expect."

Both companies are exhibiting @ the RAPID conference in Pittsburgh, May 9-11. Customers are invited to view the new metal solutions @ Desktop Metal's booth (#1537) and the new F123 FDM series and additional advanced 3D printing solutions @ Stratasys' booth (#1513).

About Stratasys

Nearly 30 years, Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ:SSYS) has been a defining force and dominant player in 3D printing and additive manufacturing - shaping the way things are made. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Rehovot, Israel, the company empowers customers across a broad range of vertical markets by enabling new paradigms for design and manufacturing. The company's solutions provide customers with unmatched design freedom and manufacturing flexibility - reducing time-to-market and lowering development costs, while improving designs and communications. Stratasys subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape, and the Stratasys ecosystem includes 3D printers for prototyping and production; a wide range of 3D printing materials; parts on-demand via Stratasys Direct Manufacturing; strategic consulting and professional services; the GrabCAD platform with over 3 million professional users; and the Thingiverse and GrabCAD communities with over 2 million 3D printable files for free designs. With more than 2,700 employees and 1,200 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents, Stratasys has received more than 30 technology and leadership awards. Visit us online at: www.stratasys.com or http://blog.stratasys.com/, and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Desktop Metal

Desktop Metal, Inc., based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is accelerating the transformation of manufacturing with end-to-end metal 3D printing solutions. Founded in 2015 by leaders in advanced manufacturing, metallurgy, and robotics, the company is addressing the unmet challenges of speed, cost, and quality to make metal 3D printing an essential tool for engineers and manufacturers around the world. Since its inception, the company has raised $438 million in financing with a portfolio of strategic partners and investors including Ford Motor Company, GV (formerly Google Ventures), GE Ventures, BMW iVentures, Koch Disruptive Technologies, Lowe’s, New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and more. Desktop Metal was selected as one of the world’s 30 most promising Technology Pioneers by the World Economic Forum and named to MIT Technology Review’s list of 50 Smartest Companies. For more information, visit www.desktopmetal.com.